The Wild Adventure of Co-Writing Books with God

Jenn Soehnlin

I had a dream burning in my heart to write books from a young age. But being an avid fiction reader, an English major, and then a middle school English teacher, I believed I’d write a fun series with Christian elements like C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.

God gave me the gift and the dream of writing, but only He could have seen where it was going. There is no way I would have ever imagined the three books I’ve written. Not in my wildest dreams.

I felt God calling me to write a book in 2014, in one of the hardest seasons of my life as an overwhelmed mama of two little ones who both had special needs. Like Jonah, I initially ran away from that calling. Who was I to write a book about faith and special needs parenting? I’d only been a special needs parent for a few years and was no expert. In fact, I was desperate to read a book like the one I felt I was being called to write. I was drowning in the never-ending appointments, and the mountain of laundry and items on my to-do list. When would I even have time to write such a book?! 

But the calling was persistent and I realized I was being disobedient and that I needed to share with other special needs mamas all the truths that God was teaching me.

It wasn’t until 2018 (four whole years of procrastinating and then writing, procrastinating some more and then obediently writing), that Embracing This Special Life was finally finished and released into the world. 

I’d been writing to encourage special needs mothers for a while when I discovered the power of praying Scripture and felt led to write about praying God’s Word. Amidst the busyness of virtual schooling/homeschooling and lockdowns of 2020, I started outlining my book, reading other books about prayer, and brainstorming. 

It took me a while to wrap my head around writing to special needs mamas and writing to readers interested in praying Scripture. God helped me see that special needs parenting would always be part of my story, but that no matter what your story is, praying Scripture can help us get into alignment with God and His will for us. So, with that mindset in place, and all my pages of notes, I began writing. 

Four years later, In July of 2025, On the Same Page with God was released into the world. 

At this point I was establishing a pattern of receiving a call to write and the message I was to share, procrastinating, writing, and publishing a book every 4-5 years. I thought that meant I had time to rest and to pray about what He wanted me to do down the road.

But God had other plans. Just months after On the Same Page with God was released, while I was preparing my heart for Christmas and praying about what was next for the upcoming year, God put on my heart to write an Advent devotional. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I jumped in with both feet, excited to write another book with God.

Both of my previous books took me several years to write, but Embracing Emmanuel took me a mere three months. God gave me so many thoughts and ideas and the words just flowed and I had so much fun writing this book that was just released in September of 2025.

The question I get asked now is what are you going to write next? I honestly don’t know. Each book I’ve written felt like a complete surprise, and yet each time God faithfully equipped me to write what He was calling me to write. If God wants me to write another book, I know He’ll make it clear as He has done over and over. 

While I once avoided writing what God put on my heart to write, believing I was utterly unqualified to write such words, I’m now truly enjoying the adventure of co-writing books with God. His plans are so much bigger and better than ours. And He is so faithful to provide us with all we need to build His Kingdom the way He is calling us to.

About Jenn:

Jenn Soehnlin is a mother to two boys who are precious blessings and who both have special needs. She enjoys writing about faith, praying Scripture, and special needs parenting at www.embracing.life. 

Jenn is the author of Embracing This Special Life, On the Same Page with God, and Embracing Emmanuel. She loves spending time with her family, curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee, and enjoying a wonder walk through nature. 

Connect:

Instagram: @Jennembracinglife
Facebook: Embracing This Special Life
Substack: Embracing Life & Praying Scripture